Getting to know Ted Yoho’s constituents

We talked last week about Rep. Ted Yoho (R-Fla.), a freshman lawmaker who’s quickly made a name for himself by sharing strange ideas and bizarre arguments. Brett LoGiurato visited Yoho’s Florida district recently to get a better sense of the kind of voters who chose to send their congressman to Washington.

Of particular interest was this exchange the reporter had with two local Tea Party supporters, including GOP state committeeman David Biddle, who argued that failing to raise the debt ceiling would simply force policymakers to drastically cut public investments in a hurry.

What to cut, then? Medicare? Social Security? Those programs won’t be cut and, according to Biddle, anyone who suggests it is employing “scare tactics.”

My point, of course, is not to pick on a couple of local Floridian officials, or even Yoho. It is worth appreciating, though, how easy it is for some on the right to talk about “cutting spending” in a superficial sense, while struggling badly with all of the relevant details.